Dimensional Break 1: Changed
by Chasing the Fairy's Tail
Summary: One of Fairy Tail's most important mages has died, and at the wrong time. The worst trouble Fairy Tail has ever seen is coming. Suddenly, the dead mage returned! But he's changed... for the better or the worse?
1. Chapter 1: The Stranger and the Grave

Staring at his own grave was odd, but to him, it wasn't creepy. Just odd. Nothing more. He knew that his body was actually in the grave; and he was also standing in front of it, completely obscured by a tattered cloak. There was only one thing he knew was missing from the grave; he knew this even though it was buried deep in the ground.

No one saw his face, for it was covered by the hood shadowing it; the only visible part of his face were his eyes, glittering black. However, they were dull, and hollow; as if the stranger had seen things no one should ever. A girl's face, pale and almost silver in the light, flashed in his memory, and he gritted his teeth, sorrow nearly consuming him. The stranger looked into the wide expanse of night sky, stars shining brightly and the moon full, looking like a perfect circle.

After gazing at the burial site a moment longer, the stranger turned around silently, footsteps silent and treading without sound. His black eyes reflected the faint silver moonlight, along with a single tear caught in his left eye. It trickled down his cheek, reminding him of every sacrifice he was forced to make. He was nothing like his old self; just an empty shell without life.

Soon, the stranger trudged off into the night, disappearing from the city of Magnolia, leaving not even a trace of his scent upon the ground. He cast a mournful glance at the Fairy Tail guildhall as he passed it. The only thing that remained of him there was his sadness; a single teardrop that never dried up.

Sunlight filtered through the windows of the Fairy Tail guild hall, but there was nothing cheerful about the warm rays it brought as the members headed into the building. Mirajane Strauss wiped the countertop clean for the morning, even though she'd done so last night. The first to get into the hall was Gray Fullbuster, one of Natsu's friend-enemies. "Good morning, Mira," he greeted her, as he did every morning.

"Good morning," she echoed, putting the cloth away. "What can I get for you?" Mira smiled at him, though her eyes didn't smile alongside her mouth. Almost instantly, her smile melted, and she averted her gaze to the table beneath her so Gray couldn't see the sadness in her eyes.

"Nothing. I'm not all that hungry," he replied, turning when the door opened once more to let Erza Scarlet, more widely known as Titania, into the hall. Her last name, Scarlet, matched the color of her hair.

"Usual," she said, striding towards the countertop, Heart Kruz Armor clinking against each other as she shifted. Mira nodded. "It'll be coming right up." She passed a slice of strawberry cake to Erza, and she accepted it graciously. However, Erza's fingers slipped, and the plate clattered to the ground. "I'll get you another one," Mira said quickly before her friend could fall into one of her tantrums.

Soon, the guildhall was full of the Fairy Tail members, but an air of melancholy hung over them like a dense rainstorm. It'd been only a week since the incident; though no one dared, or had the heart, to mention it. Even though it hurt, they couldn't bring themselves to forget about it; that sunny day in August which marked the end of the line for one of their comrades.

Lucy was the last in the guildhall, rubbing her eyes. Mira noticed her eyes were red and puffy; and she didn't suspect they were because she had allergies. Erza leaned against the countertop, sighing. "Poor Lucy." She paused. "I suspect Lisanna feels the same way."

"Maybe, but not quite as strongly as Lucy does," Mira said, handing Erza another plate of strawberry cake, which the latter took gratefully.

"Actually, I believe it's harder on her than it is on Lucy," Erza said, taking a bite of the cake. "She had known him longer."

"How about Happy then?" Mira challenged. "They were the closest of friends," she added quietly. "And he hasn't come yet. I hear he went to Lucy's place to stay."

"The guild's a quieter place now, too," Erza sighed. "I miss the old one. I think everyone else feels the same." She looked around the guildhall. "It's like Gray said; a Fairy Tail without him is unthinkable. I'm even wishing he'd crash into the guild hall and challenge me to a duel or even insult Gray."

"Even Gajeel's quiet," Mira noted, brushing a stray strand of silver hair out of her dark blue eyes. "No one likes Fairy Tail this quiet," she murmured. "The townspeople are suspecting something happened."

"He saved my life, and I couldn't return the favor," Erza said, handing her empty plate to Mira, who took it and put it away. "That's plain stupid." She slammed a fist against the countertop. "I can't believe it. I can't help but think I could've done more to help him."

Before Mira could reply, the master headed to the counter. "Good morning, Mira, Erza," he said. The two girls returned the greeting.

"I've got to take a quest," she said. "I'll take Na—Gray, Happy, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla," she said. "See you." She headed towards the job request board and took one, calling the people she'd picked for the quest. Erza had taken Happy, even though he was awfully inactive; she wanted to have him do something to take his mind off of what had happened.

As the rest of the guild started to pick jobs and leave, Mirajane started cleaning up after them. Since there weren't as many fights going on, it made her job easier. However, it just made the pain in her heart worsen. Mira held back her tears as she looked at the pictures on the wall, looking at all the happy and smiling faces. She couldn't believe that the pretty silver-haired girl with shining and happy blue eyes in the pictures was her. When her eyes were directed to the picture next to hers, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. If he were here, he'd be on that quest with Erza. If he were here, the guild would be its crazy self. If he were here, Mirajane wouldn't be crying.

The picture next to hers was of Erza, Gray, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla… and Natsu Dragneel, all happy and cheerful. Their expressions were the complete opposite of what they wore today; fake smiles, and tears. "Oh Natsu… why did you have to go and die?" Mirajane whispered, wiping her tears off her face.


	2. Chapter 2: Death Note

Several months passed uneventfully. Word got out that Fairy Tail's Salamander was dead.

Mirajane brought a few mugs of beer to Wakaba and Macao, who took them gratefully. She heard a crash and immediately looked up to see a stranger at the door. He was followed by many more. Mira peered carefully at them, and stared in shock; they all carried the Dark Guild, Death Note, mark; an eerie looking musical note.

"Death Note! What are they doing here?" Erza shouted, startled. The guild started pouring in, knocking into the Fairy Tail wizards. Instantly, the guild began to retaliate, and the sounds of chanting was heard above the din.

"We're here to settle a score," said a blue-haired man, who began to cast a spell, but was interrupted by Erza, who knocked him down. Notia, the blue-haired man, bared his teeth, lavender eyes cold.

"What score?" the scarlet-haired woman demanded, already exquipped to her Black Wing Armor. She didn't get the chance to interrogate him because the battle had already started. Erza cursed as he chanted another spell, which she stopped again, interrupting him.

Over the din, he answered with relish, "Because of what you did to us in the Grand Magic Tournament last year." The man got up. "You tore our guild apart. As Death Note's master, Notia, I have to take revenge. Let's dance with magic today, Titania."

"Notia!" Makarov jumped into the fray. "You will not fight with Erza. I will be your opponent. And crush you." He turned to Erza. "Fight off the other intruders." She nodded. "Yes Master. Your word is my will." Erza flew into the midst of the battle, cutting the Death Note members down.

But before anything else could happen, a cloaked figure appeared in the midst of chaos. Gajeel caught sight of him at the corner of his eye before a spell hit the Fairy Tail members. "Oblivious spell," he muttered. At once, all of Fairy Tail's members zoned out, even if it was only for a minute. They were frozen, and were unaware of anything. That meant he had to act fast.

"Complete Destruction: Death Note Wipeout," he yelled, pushing his hands apart after jumping into the midst of Death Note. He knew this spell would use much of his magic, but he didn't care. Magic circles glowed at the palms of his hands, and he panted, shouting, "No one… will mess… with… Fairy Tail… and get… away with it!" The magic circles crashed into all of the Death Note mages, knocking them out at once, with considerable damage done to them. He couldn't use this spell a second time… until the year was over, unless he wished to be found out, which he didn't.

He counted the time. Only five seconds left before the oblivious spell wore off. The stranger left quickly, but not before the Oblivious Spell dispersed. "Shit," he muttered as a few of the Fairy Tail members noticed him.

The stranger began to run despite his lack of energy. "Hey, you!" Gajeel yelled at him, but he didn't turn around. Gajeel ran to follow, and Erza, Gray, and Mirajane followed his lead. "Dammit, slow down!" However, the stranger continued his swift pace, though Gajeel could hear his panting from behind him.

"Leave me alone," the stranger growled, when he could run no more. He leaned heavily on the building beside him. "Leave me alone," he repeated, when the Fairy Tail guild members didn't move.

"Why should we?" Erza asked sharply. "And how do we know you aren't an enemy?" Her lavender eyes narrowed as the stranger wheezed out a laugh.

"That salmon-haired Salamander," he said. "I know him very well. I guess I could consider him a friend." Black eyes flashed under the hood. "Is that enough to sway you?"

"No," replied Gajeel. "Prove that you know him and tell me what my name is." He didn't expect the stranger to know. "Your name… Gajeel. Black Steel Gajeel," the stranger responded. "Is that enough?"

"I do not think he means any harm," Mira ventured tentatively. "So we should just leave him alone." Gray seconded her with a nod and stepped aside. "Go," he replied.

The stranger gave Gray a quick look, and their eyes met; what was that in those onyx eyes? For a moment, Gray thought that a flicker of sadness and longing had appeared in the stranger's eyes; then he guessed it was nothing, so he dismissed it. They watched the stranger disappear into the distance.

"That was odd," Erza said, frowning slightly. Gray was afraid she'd gotten mad, but he realized her frown wasn't angry; more like puzzled. "I wonder who he is… is he the one who cast that Oblivious Spell? But who cast the Complete Destruction Spell?"

Gajeel shrugged. "And I couldn't get any scent off of him; all he smells like is sadness and fear," he added. "Which is double-weird." Mira nodded.

Gray shrugged. "Anyway, we should be getting back to the guild," he said. "Hopefully we can figure out some more things and tell the rest of the guild." Erza nodded her approval.

"Last one to the guild is the frozen potato!" Gajeel yelled, sprinting ahead towards the guild hall.

"Hey, why is my magic being made fun of?" Gray complained, taking off after him, Erza and Mira pursuing them.

"He's Gajeel," Erza reasoned, "so he makes fun of everyone. Better not be the frozen potato, ice prick." She dashed off before him.


	3. Chapter 3: Gray and the Stranger

Several weeks later, the Fairy Tail members were still speculating about what happened the other day when Death Note attacked.

It began to pour, rain splashing against the ground. Puddles formed in shallow dips, and the canal began to fill up a little. Footsteps hit the wet asphalt, sending water spraying into the air.

The same cloaked figure stared at his grave, touching the rock that had his name, birthday, and death carved deeply into it, tracing his fingers over the carvings. His cloak began to get soaked; he should get going, but he wanted to stay a little longer, pondering about what happened. Everything had happened so fast…

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the footsteps on the ground until it was too late to run.

"Just who are you to be at Natsu Dragneel's grave?" Mirajane's voice asked, and he immediately stood up, thankful for the hood that obscured his face and hair. She would've instantly recognized him. "You were the one who cast that Oblivious Spell. Even though you claim to be Natsu's 'friend', I still don't believe you until I get solid evidence."

"My life is none of your business," he replied icily. His onyx eyes were as hard as diamond. She wouldn't get an answer out of him. He turned to go, but Elfman's voice stopped him, which startled him; he hadn't seen him. When he turned around, he saw both Elfman and Lisanna.

"Don't you dare speak to my sister like that," Elfman said, with a hint of a threatening undertone. His eyes were cold and he glared daggers at the stranger.

"I'm not scared of your threats. However, I will not attack you, even if you attack me. You have my word." He started to leave, but Lisanna stopped him by grabbing his arm. The stranger attempted to pull away, but she refused to let go.

"Just who are you, not to attack us for attacking you? Besides, why aren't you answering our questions?" she demanded. He managed to shake her off, and met her clear blue gaze. Understanding flashed in her eyes; then she lost her train of thought.

"I never meant to meet you guys. When the time is right, I will." The stranger had left that line floating in the air. He disappeared into the rainy night, leaving the Strauss siblings stunned and confused.

"Who's he…?" Lisanna murmured, staring after him. "He reminds me of someone I know… but I just can't place it." Mirajane sighed. "I know."

The next morning, Mirajane told Erza about what occurred last night.

"Last night," Mirajane said as she passed Erza her cake, "Lisanna, Elfman and I met the strange person." Erza immediately perked up as soon as she heard what Mira said. "Go on."

"I couldn't see his face," she continued. "He was at Natsu's grave, and when I asked him why he was there, he wouldn't tell me. Elfman told him off for being rude, but he just told him that he wasn't scared of threats. However, he said some strange things."

"What strange things?" Erza asked, interested. Mira leaned forward so no one would hear.

"He said that even if we attacked him, he wouldn't attack back. He tried to go, but Lisanna held him back at asked him who he was. He didn't answer," Mira said, "but he said these exact words: 'I never meant to meet you guys. When the time is right, I will.'"

"He's weird," Erza agreed, chewing on a piece of cake, then set the plate on the counter. "What did he look like?"

"As I mentioned," Mira replied, "he was wearing a hood, so I couldn't see his face. However, he was wearing a tattered cloak."

Erza slammed the countertop with her palms so hard the plate of strawberry cake rattled on the table. Her lavender eyes were inches away from Mira's blue ones. "He's definitely that one!"

"Yes," Mira said, pushing Erza away from her face. "Calm down—"

"I can't!" Erza ran out the door, leaving her cake behind.

"Erza, you didn't finish your strawberry cake!" Mira called, but Erza waved her off. "This is much more important!" she replied.

Gray looked at Mira quizzically. "There's nothing more important than strawberry cake to her," he said. "This must be a serious case. Besides, what were you talking about?" After he asked the question, he knew the answer.

"Nothing that concerns you, Gray," Mira said sharply. It was rare for her to use that tone of voice, and it effectively shut Gray up.

Juvia glared at Mira. "You don't have to be so rude to Gray," she said, but Gray silenced her before she could go on. "It's okay, Juvia."

"Gray, I chose not to tell you because it'll only hurt you. So leave it be," Mira said in a gentler tone. She smiled. "And hopefully Erza find out what happened."

Gray nodded. "Then I'll go check on Lucy and Happy." He rose to go, heading out of the guildhall. Juvia, extremely jealous, sighed and slammed her face into

He arrived at Lucy's home, wondering how long it had been since he'd been inside, though he knew he couldn't go in. He turned away and headed off, but not before Gray saw him.

"Who're you?" Gray demanded, hostility like a knife in his voice. "Why are you at one of Fairy Tail's members' homes?" He pressed a fist against an open hand, preparing to use his Ice Make Magic."

"I don't mind if you attack me. I won't attack you," the stranger replied simply. "You have my word." Then he left.

Gray blinked, genuinely confused. Then he remembered why he'd come here and knocked on Lucy's door.

"Gray, put on your clothes," Lucy's voice called from inside. Gray rolled his eyes. "I'm wearing them!"

Lucy opened the door, letting Gray in. Happy was sleeping on the kitchen table, Plue sitting next to him. "Hi, Gray," she said gloomily. "I saw what happened outside."

"Do you know who that guy is?" Gray asked, hoping for an answer. Lucy shook her head.

"Never seen him," she answered, bringing her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

"Cheer up," Gray told her. "Do you think Natsu would want you to be unhappy because of him?" He managed to smile.

Lucy sighed deeply. "But being happy won't bring him back." She blinked back tears.

"You liked him, didn't you." It was more of a statement than a question. Lucy hadn't been expecting that.

"W-what? No! That pink-haired idiot—" Lucy stuttered, but was interjected by Gray. "Stop lying."

Lucy glared at Gray. "I'm not lying!" Gray rolled his eyes. "Sure," he said sarcastically. "But I know he liked you," he added sincerely.

"Natsu? Like someone?" she asked incredulously. "Oh puh-lease." Gray arched an eyebrow at her. "What, you don't think Natsu has feelings?"

Lucy was at a loss for words. Gray had a damn clear point there. "Come on Lucy. You guys are always together on missions, and he saved your ass a lot of times."

"I-I guess," Lucy muttered.

"Feeling better now?" Gray asked, crossing his arms. "Try not to be so… _gloomy_. There's life and death, you know, and even if he'd lived, he'll die eventually. Like us. So try and enjoy life to the fullest while you can."

Lucy nodded. "Thanks, Gray," she said, putting her feet on the floor again. "I'm going to the Guildhall. You coming?"

Gray grinned. "You bet."


	4. Chapter 4: How is this Possible?

A few days later…

Mirajane was heading into the guildhall as usual to get a new day started. Lucy seemed to be a bit more relaxed, and she even laughed from time to time. It looked like Gray had managed to cheer her up. Happy, too, seemed to be live a bit more up to his name.

She opened the door when a piece of paper hit her in the face. Mira was so startled she didn't have a chance to catch it and it landed on the ground. Coming back to her senses, she muttered, "Thank goodness I didn't scream." She leaned down and picked up the paper, about to toss it into the trash when she noticed the writing on it.

Erza and Gray walked into the guildhall as Mirajane pulled out a slice of strawberry cake for Erza. Gray would go out to eat later. "Hey, you two," she said, "I've some stuff to show you. And we have to wait for Happy and Lucy and Lisanna." Gray and Erza exchanged confused glances, then shrugged and sat down. "Alright," was Erza's response.

"Lisanna!" Mira called as her younger sister entered the building. "Join Gray and Erza at their table." Erza arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Gray just sat as far away from Erza as possible.

As Happy and Lucy came in, Erza waved them over to their table. "Hey you two!" she called. "Come join us." Gray was still watching Mirajane, who was just cleaning the countertop.

"I think that counter's clean enough," Gray called. "Now can you show us what you wanted to see?" He was getting extremely impatient. Lisanna, Happy, and Lucy looked at Gray, puzzled.

"She wanted to show us something," Erza said, shrugging her shoulders as she took another bite of cake. "And she had us waiting for so long," Gray muttered mutinously.

Mirajane walked over to the table and slammed the note onto the table so hard, Erza's strawberry cake nearly fell off the table. "It asks all of us, including me, to meet this person in front of Lucy's home," she said. "Around now."

"Who is it?" Lucy asked, immensely curious. "It doesn't say," Mirajane answered. "However, what I do know is that we should be on guard. It's wise. Bring your keys; we're going now."

As soon as they got there, they were conscious of the amount of people were there. "This is strange," Erza murmured. "Be on your guard." Her eyes flickered around the area, instantly wary. There were people watching; and they were not friendly.

"At least you know to do that." Someone stepped out of the shadows; he had dark blue hair and black eyes, fitted with a cross-shaped tattoo over his right eye. "Titania Erza. Do you know me?" He smiled coldly.

"You're Demon Soul's new master, Bora," Erza said, recoiling in surprise. "But I thought he defeated you?" Instantly, surprise and anger flared in her eyes.

"Oh, you mean _Natsu Dragneel, _Erza Scarlet?" he asked, rubbing salt into the wound, black eyes glittering. "I might add that I have learned more magic. And we were one of the guilds to sponsor the guild that had taken our assassination request; the assassination of Natsu Dragneel. Apparently, they succeeded, and we gave them the money, along with a few other guilds." Bora smiled coldly.

"You…" Lucy hissed; she had a bad relationship with him. Before she joined Fairy Tail, he'd tried to sell her as a slave; and Natsu had to do with saving her life. "I thought you'd turned good."

"There's no such thing as good or bad," Bora said, eyes glittering maliciously. "But the reason why I invited you here… was to kill you of course. I still hate Lucy for getting away from me, and Natsu even more for sending me to jail… but I've gotten my revenge. And us guilds don't have to follow the Magic Council's rules anymore! They don't exist!" He laughed. "Beside, Fairy Tail has always been too big for their boots."

Lisanna's blue eyes blazed with anger, glaring at Bora. "Now, now, girlie," he said. "Don't go giving me those looks." Bora spread his arms, calling: "Demon Soul!" His eyes glinted. "I could kill you with a wave of my hand!"

At his command, his guild, made of around thirty mages, began to head towards their targets. Bora rubbed his hands together. "I want you guys to make their deaths slow and painful," he called. "Let's see how much Fairy Tail likes that." Erza decided that this Bora wasn't being himself. He had a faintly glazed look in his eyes; she supposed he was being possessed. However, she had no time to think on the matter.

Erza attempted to exquip to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, but she couldn't. "Oh, I forgot to say," Bora said, "that I learned how to stop the Magic called the Knight, which you possess, Erza." Erza cursed, but she jumped into the fray, knocking some of the mages out with her fists. Despite being a fearsome warrior, the Demon Soul mages were powerful, and she couldn't hold out forever, simply using her fists.

Lucy called, "Open, gate of the—" She was interrupted when a mage used Telekinesis to lift the key out of her hand and fling it to Mavis knows where. Lucy reached for another key, but she realized all of them had been tossed by the mage's telekinesis. She murmured a curse and drew her whip.

Gray had no luck either. Bora managed to melt most of his ice attacks, and while he was facing off a whole bunch of other mages. He realized there was a mage that was using Illusion magic to make it look like there was nothing going on in front of Lucy's home. "Coward," he shouted at Bora.

Lisanna managed to strike a few of the mages after using her Take Over magic, but she was horribly outnumbered. "Damn, there are too many!" She turned into her half-cat form, slicing and biting, but spells battered relentlessly at her.

Mirajane, in Satan Soul form, was able to hold off her attackers, but barely. She desperately tried to help her little sister, but she couldn't while fighting off her attackers. "Evil Explosion!" she screeched, causing the mages to cower in fear. "Don't even think about touching my sister!" However, her opponents rallied again and fired their own spells.

Happy weaved in and out through the crowd of mages, attempting to dodge all of the spells with his Max Speed Aera, though he knew he couldn't keep it up much longer. He could already feel his wings beginning to fade, flickering into mist. Happy dropped onto the ground and began to run, dodging the attacks fired at him.

The six were hopelessly outnumbered by five to one, and the mages of Demon Soul were fairly strong. However, Erza refused to give up. If she was going down, then she'd take as many of Demon Soul down with her.

Suddenly, a voice hissed, "You dare hurt Fairy Tail like this?" The masculine voice came from the shadows and strode forward in the form of a human. It was the cloaked man, his obsidian eyes hard and merciless.

"How did you see through the illusion…?" Bora asked incredulously.

"I dispelled it," he replied icily. Every single person caught in the illusion turned their gaze on the newcomer. Erza recognized him at once as the cloaked person. He had a tattered cloak around his shoulders, and a hood over his face. She knew there wasn't a single person who covered his face other than Mystogan, though Mystogan was in Edolas. And the stranger definitely wasn't in Fairy Tail, though his voice sounded faintly familiar. And he acted as if Fairy Tail were his guild.

"And for harming Fairy Tail, I shall return the favor… by a hundredfold." The stranger lifted up his hands, a magic circle glowing over his palms. His eyes were closed. "Every single one of Demon Soul shall perish… for your bad decisions… Notia. You still want revenge."

"Stop him!" Bora cried, charging forward with the rest of his guild. The stranger ignored them, and simply continued to cast his spell, murmuring the words. As soon as the Demon Soul guild members reached the circle of light surrounding the stranger, their demon-horn guild marks flashed and disappeared, and they were unable to pass through the barrier of light.

And then he lowered his hands and pressed them together, like he was saying a prayer. He opened his eyes—his left eye had become a shade of amber, with a blood-colored swirl in the center—and said, "Complete Destruction: Demon Soul Wipeout." A blast like a nuclear bomb sounded throughout the city, but only touched the Demon Soul guild members. Nothing else was harmed.

The caster of the spell panted. "It even… reached as far… as their guildhall," he said, leaning against Lucy's home's wall. "Death Note… was… far easier… Should've realized that… not all of Demon Soul… was here." The stranger bared his teeth in a smile, revealing abnormally sharp canines. "I was… so stupid… wouldn't you agree… Erza…?" He didn't note that he could use the spell more than once in a year; the second time would take a bit of a toll on his body, and the third would almost inevitably kill him.

His knees buckled, and hit the pavement, unconscious. Erza was so startled that he knew her name it took her another moment to realize their 'savior' had passed out. "Hey, are you okay?" She ran over to him, followed by Gray, Happy, and Mira. Lucy and Lisanna were hesitant to approach him, instead busying themselves by tying up Demon Soul.

"While we're at it, we can see what you look like," Gray muttered.

Gray pulled down the stranger's hood, and stared down in shock, as did Erza, Happy, and Mirajane.

The stranger had a few fresh scars on his face, but the most striking thing about him was the spiky and messy salmon pink hair.

"How is this possible…?" Mira whispered hoarsely.

Erza's lavender eyes were startled beyond measure. "He should be…"  
Gray was speechless, while Happy shouted: "Natsu!"


	5. Chapter 5: His Eyes

Erza shook her head. "Shame on Natsu," she growled. "I will fucking kill him." Her lavender eyes had a shade of crazy anger in them. Happy, Gray, Lisanna, and Lucy edged a little farther away from her on Lucy's couch.

"Oh, don't be that way," Mirajane said. "He's not dead, at least. Would you rather him be dead than alive?" Mira smiled. "At least we've got him back." Mirajane was as gentle as usual, being her kind self.

"What will Fairy Tail think?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms and looking expectantly at Erza and Mira. The two older girls had been at Fairy Tail much longer than she had; she expected them to know.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Gray answered, rather than Mira or Erza. "They'll be overjoyed he's back." He rolled his eyes. "Even though he has shit for brains, we all care."

"Gray," Erza said with a warning in her undertone. Gray simply glared at her. "Aren't you the one who wants to kill him?" There was a gleam of challenge in his blue eyes.

"Gray does bring up an awfully good point, if you don't mind me saying so, Erza," Happy said. The blue cat hovered over Lucy's shoulder, wings flapping occasionally and causing a gust of wind to blow through the room.

"Stupid cat," both Erza and Lucy said at the same time, for different reasons; still, it earned them both a glare from Lisanna.

"I forgot, why are you so close to Happy?" Lucy asked quizzically, her arms crossed, brow raised as soon as Lisanna's brow furrowed and her sharp gaze directed towards her and Erza.

"Natsu and I hatched him, duh," she replied as if the answer was supposed to be obvious. Well, sure it was, but Lucy hadn't known Lisanna for that long. Obviously, Lisanna believed that Natsu liked her—which was, according to Gray, true—and didn't exactly like her that much for it. Besides, the story had only been told to her once, by Mirajane.

"I haven't been at the guild for very long," Lucy said, "so sorry." She turned to Erza. "When should we get back to the guild?" She checked the clock hanging over her desk.

Erza shrugged. "When Natsu recovers enough," she replied. "I'm dragging him there, even if he doesn't like it. Then I'm gonna pin him to the wall and not let him move."

"If you're gonna tie him up, you'd better do it while he's still unconscious," Mira said, shrugging. "Not that I approve of what you want to do." A glimmer of amusement appeared in her blue eyes. "He'll struggle like a freshly caught fish."

"If he's the fish, then I'm the cat. You do raise a good point. Lucy, do you have rope?" Erza asked Lucy. Happy twitched his tail, annoyed about the reference to cats. Lucy shook her head. "Sorry. I might have some though," she added, after a moment's worth of thinking. "In the closet in the kitchen."

"I'll check," Erza said. "Give me a moment." She disappeared into the kitchen, and reappeared a moment later, holding a coil of rope. "Time to tie up Natsu," she announced.

Erza headed into Lucy's bedroom, and came out dragging Natsu across the floor. She dragged him to the front of the door. "Let's go," she said, and the rest obliged, all not wanting to argue with Erza.

Happy busted open the door to the guildhall, just as Natsu used to. "WE'RE BACK!" he hollered, imitating him. "AND GUESS WHAT WE FOUND!" The rest of the guild looked up from what they were doing, startled. The barrel of beer in Cana's possession nearly slipped from her grasp.

Erza unceremoniously dumped an unconscious Natsu onto the ground in front of her. "There's your answer," she announced loudly. Gray, Lisanna, Mira, and Lucy followed.

Gray glared at Happy. "You didn't have to be so fucking loud, stupid cat," he said, forgetting Lisanna was right next to him. She slapped him on the arm. "Don't insult Happy."

"_Natsu?_" Cana dropped the barrel of beer she was holding, letting it roll away as soon as she saw. "No way. He's dead."

"He's supposed to be," Erza said darkly. "I don't know what happened. I couldn't believe it when I saw him either." She pushed him to the wall closest to the door.

"Where's the master?" Mira called, looking around. "We have to tell him what happened." She attempted to spot him in the crowd.

"He went home to take a rest," Wendy replied. "Master wanted a break. He said he'd be back in about twenty minutes. It's been fifteen already." She smiled. "I hope Natsu's alright."

"Oh yeah. Does anyone have iron shackles?" Erza asked, to which Lucy stared at her. "You're really going to do it?" she demanded.

"Yeah, I wasn't joking," Erza replied, confused about Lucy's question. Gajeel tossed her a few shackles, and Erza worked on pinning Natsu to the wall with the shackles. Gray shrugged. "Serves him right I guess," he muttered.

Ten minutes later…

Natsu's eyes flickered open, revealing his dark eyes. Erza and the Master were standing before him, along with the rest of Fairy Tail. Quickly, he absorbed all the information of the surroundings, and didn't find anything surprising. He noticed that he was pinned to the wall by shackles. A flashback ticked at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away; he would not be consumed by memories; now was not the time.

Erza snapped her fingers under Natsu's nose. "Wake up fully or else I'll kill you," she hissed. "We have some things to ask you." She thought that Natsu's fear of her would help in this situation.

"How scary," he replied sarcastically, earning him surprised looks and gasps from the rest of the Fairy Tail guild. "Honestly, Erza, you're not quite as scary as you used to be." Erza forced herself not to recoil.

What she did next was completely unexpected, even Erza was startled; only Natsu wasn't stunned. Shaking with anger, Erza lifted up her right hand and a loud _slap_ sounded throughout the room. "I know exactly how much I deserve it," Natsu said, who didn't flinch with Erza smacked him on the cheek. His left cheek began to redden ever so slightly.

Erza glared at Natsu murderously. Natsu didn't even flinch. "Answer them, or else we're keeping you here with no food or drink," she threatened. Gray thought that he'd cough everything up at once. He didn't.

"No food or drink?" Natsu paused. "It doesn't matter to me. The last time I ate or drank was two months ago. I could last the rest of the year if you wanted to." He sighed. "Seriously. Think of a better threat would you." Cana arched an eyebrow, her booze caught and held between her legs. She shook her head, thinking she was just hallucinating from drinking too much.

Erza narrowed her eyes. "Where've you been?" she demanded, exquiping a sword and leveling it at his eyes. Natsu didn't move; in fact, Erza swore she saw a gleam of contempt and amusement glittering in his eyes.

"Places," he replied. "Places that you should never go." Fairy Tail was silent. They all knew Erza hated it when people didn't answer her questions at once, or directly. Natsu's eyes held a glimmer of challenge, daring her to ask her next question.

"Where, exactly?" Erza asked, a dangerous tone in her voice. She expected Natsu to answer immediately. Instead, he laughed mirthlessly. A flash of pain kindled in his onyx eyes; then it faded away.

"I didn't come back and help you so I could be interrogated," Natsu said icily. "I'll tell you what you need to know. Nothing more." Erza looked closely at him; he was acting oddly. But Gajeel and Wendy didn't say he smelled much different. Natsu's appearance was the same, except with a few more scars; but he looked different, somehow. She couldn't tell where.

"Speak," Erza said, not moving the sword point from his face. "Do it." Natsu simply shifted, causing the shackles around his wrists and ankles to clink. He showed no sign of panic or nervousness.

"Very well. However, I will only tell you what you need to know," he said simply. "I saved your asses twice already, and I have been to hell. And I have come back. The reasons why are none of your business." Natsu looked to Erza. Erza gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Can you free me now, or are you going to have me do it?"

"That's not enough information, Natsu," Erza said coldly. "And that metal can't be melted, or be destroyed by anything." Natsu simply laughed again. "Who said I was going to melt it? And there's nothing's built to last forever," he said, and that's when Erza realized the difference.

Those eyes.

They were hard as black diamonds; yet they were like the eyes of a starving wolf; snapped. They were hollow. Empty. And most of all… dead. Those eyes terrified Erza, though she didn't let it show.

"Fire magic is the magic you use," Lucy ventured. "So isn't that why we'd expect you to melt it? And you're the one who likes destroying stuff." She didn't know what Natsu's reaction would be. It was the most surprising. He cringed, even if only for a second. Erza peered at him closely. Why would he flinch at the mention of his own magic?

Natsu seemed to struggle for a moment, and his eyes became terrified. "Kiana…" he whispered, forgetting everything else. His eyes became softened and confused, as if he were lost. "I'm sorry… I couldn't be there to protect you… I killed you… and for you… I never used dragon slaying magic… it's too destructive." Suddenly, his teeth ground together, and his eyes hardened. His eyes took on a melancholy mist.

"Leave it. Maybe if you let me go, Gajeel can get a snack," Natsu said, regaining his composure, and brushing it off as if nothing had happened. Erza narrowed her eyes; such verve… "Or else these things will be gone."

"We need more information," Makarov said gently. It was the first time he'd spoken the whole time. "We'd rather not take things to the extreme like this, but Erza seemed a little determined to do it."

Natsu snorted. "Fine. I'll do it." Suddenly, the iron shackles began to deteriorate, as if there was something wearing away at it. They fell to the ground, eaten away and rusted. "Nothing can destroy it? I don't think so. There's nothing that can stand against aging." The guild watched on in stunned silence. He turned around, heading towards the door. "Don't try asking me anything again. I won't answer. I'll tell you when I need to." But before he could leave the guild hall, he stiffened, as if something startled him.

"Kiana…" he said again, tears threatening to spill. Natsu quivered for a moment, silent and unmoving. The others watched on in silence, while Lucy got up and went up to him and did something that startled him as it startled the rest of Fairy Tail. She put her arms around his shoulders. "Your friends are here. We're always here when you need us," she told him, and Natsu managed a weak smile. He pushed her away gently before brushing his tears away and walking off. Lucy stood at the doorway, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Um… Lucy?" Gray asked, startled. Then, he turned to look at Erza. "What you just did…" He gulped. "Are you… um… crazy?"

"_Crazy?_" Lucy exclaimed, offended. "Why would you think that way? I mean…"

Erza was still glaring at the door where Natsu had left. "What the hell is wrong with him?" she asked. She was still annoyed at his attitude was towards her. Her anger as of now was almost equal to the amount of anger she mustered whenever someone messed with her strawberry cake.

The master sighed, obviously worried about Natsu. "Did you see his reaction when Lucy mentioned fire magic?" he asked. Erza nodded, lavender eyes smoldering.

"I did," she replied. "And I noticed something." Erza turned to Lucy, Gray, Mira, Lisanna and Happy. "You guys are coming with me. We need to talk to Master."

The seven headed into a separate room and the door closed with a fatal _bang_.

Cana exchanged a worried glance with Wendy. "Did you notice?" she asked Wendy. "His reaction?" Wendy nodded. "I wonder what happened."

Gajeel shook his head impatiently. "Are you two blind? You should've noticed it!" Despite himself, he was worried for that retarded Salamander.

"Spit it out, Gajeel," Macao said, focusing on him. Gajeel looked at the door the master had gone into, then to the main doors. The rest of the guild leaned in, listening in to Gajeel.

"His eyes. Didn't you notice? They were… lifeless. Hollow. Out of this world. And snapped. I don't want to admit it; but he's awfully frightening."


	6. Chapter 6: Erza VS Natsu

A few days had passed since the 'interrogation'.

Mirajane Strauss opened the door, noticing it was unlocked. Probably Natsu's doing; he was usually the first in the morning, even before her. As usual, he was hanging around the request board.

"Master told me he was going to a meeting," Mira called to Natsu. "If you're taking a job, talk to me." Natsu merely nodded in response. He didn't seem to say much, even to Happy. The mage scanned the board for a job to his liking, and his eyes flitted to the S-class job board for a fleeting second. Mira wondered if he still had his old obsession with being an S-class mage.

After a moment of looking, he decided against going on any of the quests, and watched quietly as the rest of the guild filtered into the guildhall. Gray had attempted to rouse some of Natsu's anger by calling him several names; 'flame princess', 'flame-brain', et cetera. None of it had worked; instead, Natsu just replied, "Don't bother, Gray."

Gray seemed resigned to the fact that Natsu wasn't willing to share anything, or show any anger. He was silent, like a statue. "Good morning," he said to both Mira and Natsu. Mira returned the greeting while Natsu simply acknowledged it with a short nod of his head.

The rest of the guild began to enter the hall, and it slowly began to fill with chatter. Some of the mages stole glances at Natsu; even though he seemed unaware of it, he felt slightly uneasy about it; he revealed this by shifting uncomfortably.

"Has he said anything?" Erza asked Mira as soon as she was handed a platter of cake. "I need to know." Mira shook her head. "He rarely seems to speak," she said. "I really wonder what happened." She sighed unhappily. "I wish he was happier."

Natsu suddenly made way for the door. No one stopped him. After the hall door closed, Erza was caught in a moment of indecision. She picked her choice, putting the plate of cake down and headed outside after Natsu.

"Yes?" he asked without even turning around as Erza pelted after him. She had to remember that his senses were keener. "What do you want?"

Several of the guild members headed outside to see what was going on. Happy flapped his wings nervously, gulping. "I hope this doesn't get ugly," Lucy said anxiously. "If it does…" She shuddered. Both of the mages were capable of destroying an entire city by themselves.

What Erza blurted out next was so unexpected from her, even Natsu recoiled in shock. "If I defeat you in a fight, then you'll tell us everything—when I say everything, I mean it!" Lucy blinked, almost uncomprehending what Erza just said. And she just said that she hoped things wouldn't get ugly. Ugh. She was a jinx.

"Did Erza really just say that?" Juvia asked, blinking. Gray nodded to her as a reply. He expected Natsu to turn down the request; he couldn't win against Erza, and he definitely did not want to tell them anything. But a gleam of determination flickered in his onyx eyes, and then died away.

"I accept your challenge. When will this take place?" Natsu asked. His onyx eyes burned into Erza's lavender, and she let a faint smirk play on her lips. "Tomorrow. At noon, in the center of the city," she replied smoothly.

"Don't be too confident," Natsu told her evenly. "And expect to be on the ground before one o'clock." He turned and went off, disappearing into the distance.

Mira turned to Erza. "Did you really just challenge him?" she asked, eyes round. The ex-she-demon was seriously worried. "What if you guys get hurt?"

"If that happens, I'm sure Wendy will be willing to help," Gray said, eyes sparkling. "I'm quite excited about the prospect of seeing Natsu get beat up again and get the information." Lucy was a little more hesitant, though. "I'm not sure about this," she said quietly. "I mean, I want the information, but… this is taking things to the extreme…"

Cana took a swig of her drink. "Never mind that," she said, grinning like a fool. "Let's see who'll earn some jewels tomorrow."

The next day, at noon…

Cana sat against the wall of the Fairy Tail building next to a whiteboard with all the votes and bets placed. She cradled a barrel of beer, occasionally drinking from it. The master, informed of the battle about to take place, stood on a high chair, being the ref of the match. Erza and Natsu were standing in the center of the field, Natsu looking detached as usual, Erza looking surprisingly anxious. Cana checked the voting chart. Since yesterday, a lot of the guild members suspected Natsu had become much stronger; so the bets placed on Erza and Natsu were fairly even.

"To all of those who voted for Erza, expect to lose some cash today," Natsu announced suddenly. "I don't plan on giving anything away unless I feel the need to, or if she does in fact defeat me." His onyx eyes were hard and blank as usual.

"At least you're honoring your promise," Erza said icily, and immediately exquipped to her Flame Empress armor. Now almost everyone was completely convinced Erza would win. "Picked the wrong armor, Erza," Natsu chided. "Figure out why."

"Match, start!" called Master Makarov, and so the match commenced.

Erza didn't respond to what Natsu had said earlier, and simply charged and swept the large blade at Natsu. He merely sidestepped, almost easily, and waited for her next attack. Was he goading her? Somehow, Erza didn't think so, though his lack of attention in the match irked her.

Her next attack came from below, and Natsu jumped over it, silently testing Erza's ability without her realizing it. He needed to be a bit more familiar with her style; then he could strike. Natsu waited patiently as the barbed sword swung at him, and instead of sidestepping, he grabbed it, putting his hands on the areas where there were no barbs.

With a huge pull, he was able to drag Erza off balance. She tripped over the weight of the sword and the momentum that was caused by Natsu's pulling. Erza landed on her hands and exquipped a pair of swords to her feet, but those were easily disarmed.

"Am I really watching this…?" Lucy asked, stunned; she had betted on Erza. "I swear, it's like Natsu's winning, and he's not even trying." Gray nodded, speechless.

Erza gritted her teeth, and she picked up her weapons, letting her Flame Empress sword disappear. Natsu wasn't using magic, which annoyed her, because he was already gaining the upper hand.

Come on, Erza, you know you can do better than that! Take him down at all costs; just don't kill him! Just defeat him! Erza gulped, and then exquipped to the most powerful armor in her arsenal. Fairy Armor.

"Erza! Are you _crazy?_ You're using your most powerful armor!" Gray yelled from the sidelines. Indeed, everyone was stunned, even the master. "Are you really that desperate?"

Suddenly, Natsu stumbled and cursed. Another splitting headache. Natsu touched his fingers to his forehead. _Let us out, Natsu. We can defeat this armor with ease,_ said a feminine voice inside his head. _I told you, only if I need help! _Natsu snapped back. _Don't be like that, Natsu, _said a more masculine voice. _The Fairy Armor is Erza's most powerful armor. _Natsu gritted his teeth in both agony and annoyance. _I don't need your help, _Natsu hissed. _Just let us do it. Once. And then we'll leave you alone for two weeks! _pleaded the female voice. Natsu was seriously debating on that. _Fine, _he replied. _But under one condition… you let me share the consciousness and you won't take complete control of me. Only until the match is over._

"Hey, Natsu. Are you alright?" Erza asked, truly concerned when Natsu winced. "I can postpone the match…" Natsu shook his head.

"I'll be fine. If you're using your strongest magic, then so shall I," Natsu said, already letting the two voices give him power. "Be ready, Erza. You'll be down before one. You have my word."

"Is he crazy?" Lucy asked. "It's already twelve thirty, and he thinks he can defeat Erza in her strongest armor!"

"Well, that's Natsu," Max pointed out, "and he is crazy."

"He's not the Natsu we knew," Gray muttered angrily.

"Be prepared to eat the dirt, Natsu," Erza said, icy determination in her eyes.

"And I to you," Natsu replied. The Shadow and Light magic were already starting to take over. "Expect no replies from what you say," he added. Erza realized that bangs covered his left eye; yet he had no intention of brushing it out. She assumed this would be an advantage.

This time, it was Natsu who made the first attack. A Shadow Drag was successfully attached to Erza without her even noticing. But he knew exactly what it did; slowed down the target and raised the damage that the Nightmare Light did; hopefully the fairy armor would help protect her.

Erza attempted to swipe at her, but noticed her movements were extremely slow, and she couldn't move well. Her shadows seemed to be holding her back, though she knew it was impossible. Did Natsu place a curse on her a moment ago? He tapped her armor as he went by.

Erza made the second assault, but Natsu simply placed a Light Pull on her, a similar curse to the Shadow Drag, except it raised the attack power of Sunlight Beam. She was slowed down even more, and she cursed, every movement an effort.

Lucy checked the amount of time left before one. "Ten minutes left," she announced. "Ten minutes left if Natsu wants to keep a promise!" She studied the match. "Erza seems to be awfully slow today. Is her armor too heavy or something…?"

"Erza, what are you doing?" Gray asked, arching an eyebrow. She was moving awfully slow, like she was walking through syrup, though Natsu was running perfectly fine. A magic circle appeared beneath Erza, and she attempted to get out of its way, but couldn't due to the slowing magic.

A bright light consisting of brilliant colors exploded beneath Erza. Natsu's eyes were closed, and he was panting heavily. Erza attempted to get up, but due to the damage she sustained, and the two slowing curses, she couldn't. She just let lay there on the ground, panting. "You win," she said. Gray, Lucy, and Happy stared, completely awed and fearful.

Natsu nearly passed out himself as another agonizing headache erupted. He swayed on his feet. _You got your fun. Now leave me alone,_ he said wearily. _Okay. Thanks, _the female voice said. The male echoed it. _At least you learned some manners, Astro, Tial, _Natsu said, faintly amused.

"What magic did you use?" the master inquired, jumping down from his perch, immensely curious. Before he answered, Natsu let the slowing curses on Erza disappear. Gray whispered to Lucy, "Well, Natsu's looking pretty worn down himself."

"Magic?" Natsu nearly stumbled, but caught himself on the wall. "Is that any type of magic you've seen before?" He shook his head. "It's not magic. However, it's similar." A devious smile played on his lips.

"You mean, you used stuff that wasn't magic on me?" Erza asked, startled, and a bit annoyed. "It wasn't a magic duel," Natsu stated calmly. He stood and turned and headed off. "If you'll excuse me… I have some things I wanted to attend to."

He disappeared from sight into the distance. As usual, not a trace remained of him, except his scuffle with Erza. "What's going on…?" she murmured.

Outside of town…

"Have you been faring well?" Natsu jumped, turning around to face the speaker. He was a boy that appeared around seventeen. Despite his appearance, he was older than Natsu. Far older. Even more ancient than Zeref.

"Ah. Devin." Natsu let a faint smirk touch his mouth. "You do not need me to explain. Especially when you have that odd ability of yours, and Astro and Tial to spy on me for you."

Devin brushed his dark hair out of his stunning electric blue eyes. "You might want to finish that hundred year quest.." His eyes bored into Natsu's. "I trust you will carry it out. Don't let anyone know."

Natsu's onyx eyes became shadowed. "I know. I've become excellent at that." He looked at Devin. "What are you planning?"

"What I plan has nothing to do with you," Devin said. "For now, at least. Go off now. Take a break." He faintly smiled. "Take care, Natsu." He began to shimmer and disappeared.

Natsu turned away and headed off. "I know."


	7. Chapter 7: Kelli

Three days later…

"Has anyone seen Natsu anywhere?" Erza demanded one morning as she headed into the Fairy Tail guildhall. Romeo shrugged. "He went on a job last night," he replied. "Otherwise, I don't know."

Gray was still in shock about what happened the other day. "He won against Erza," he kept saying, and even Happy was beginning to get annoyed of his saying it.

"Stop saying that or else Erza'll kick your ass," Lucy said, tapping her fingers against the table. "Aye, and don't think that you're as strong as Natsu anymore. If he can beat Erza in _Fairy Armor_, you don't stand a chance." Happy chewed on a fish. "Figure it out, Gray."

He sighed. "I guess you're right," Gray said, slightly embarrassed. "I really wish Erza had beaten him though," he added. "Then I can see his humiliated face and get the information." Lucy glared at him; then her glare softened. "I can't help but agree with you, but only on the second point."

Suddenly, an angry shout drew their attention. Master Makarov was hopping up and down on a stool, waving a slip of paper with writing on it; but thanks to Makarov waving it up and down, Gray couldn't make anything out of it. "Curse him! So he comes back and does this?" he fumed.

Gray exchanged a puzzled glance with Lucy, and arched an eyebrow in Erza and Mira's direction; they simply shrugged hopelessly in response. Erza finally said, "What happened?"

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened!" He nearly crumpled the piece of paper in his hand. "Natsu—that idiot Natsu Dragneel, took the hundred year quest!" Makarov gritted his teeth. "Even if he does come back, he probably won't…"

"He did what?" Mirajane demanded, slamming her hands on the counter so hard, the plates rattled. "Read us what the note tells us!"

"I'll tell you. 'Dear Fairy Tail, I took the hundred year quest three months ago. Once the time is ripe, this note will appear, and the job will dissolve. Take care. Don't let anyone hurt the guild; I won't be there to kick their butts. I won't be back until I complete this quest. Based off of what 'he' says, then I will be back in a week's time –Natsu Dragneel'." Makarov hopped up and down in rage. "Damn him! Damn that little brat…"

Erza was more controlled about the situation, though anger flickered in her lavender eyes. "What startles me more than him taking that quest is that he decided to leave a note," she said. "He's not the type to do so; more like the type to leave without warning. And who's 'he'?"

"All I can hope is that he comes back alive," Mirajane said, regaining her composure. "I personally think that Natsu deserves a bit of a punishment though." She wiped the countertop off, cleaning off the crumbs.

A week later…

A girl with dark skin and black hair was standing at the countertop, holding out her arm so Mirajane could place the guild mark on her arm. "Hold still, or else—" Mirajane began, but was interrupted when the door was slammed open and knocked against the wall. A shape crashed into the girl, knocking her off her feet.

"Ow!" she said, glaring at the attacker. "What was that for?" The girl played with a lock of her hair. "Seriously, I was just trying to get my guild stamp."

The figure took off his hood, and revealed Natsu Dragneel. His onyx eyes were seething with anger and hatred. "You picked the wrong guild," he snarled, baring his teeth.

The girl widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh my gods! I didn't expect you to finish that hundred year quest so quickly!" she exclaimed. "Damn my luck."

Erza looked at Natsu, eyes cold. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "And how do you know Annabeth? This girl was merely attempting to join our guild."

"Girl? She's female, but she's definitely not a _girl_," Natsu growled. He seemed to be on the verge of snapping. _Kelli! _Astro exclaimed, anger touching her voice. _That fucking witch,_ Tial growled. _I've never had the chance for revenge._ Natsu gritted his teeth as another headache racked his brain. _What's your history with Kelli?_ Natsu asked them. _She manipulated both Lux and Caligo, _Astro replied. _Forgive us for asking, but we wish to help you kill her another time. _Natsu agreed to their terms.

"What do you mean, not a girl?" Master Makarov demanded. "It's bad enough that you went on a hundred year quest, but attacking a newcomer—that's a terrible offense."

Natsu didn't reply to the master. "If you want to get into Fairy Tail—sure! Over my dead body," he hissed, onyx eyes smoldering with rage. "I will never let you lay a single filthy paw on my guild. Fairy Tail will not succumb to you."

The girl seemed to be offended and confused. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said sweetly, and the amount of honey added into her voice made Natsu sick.

"You disgust me," Natsu snarled. "I killed you once already. I can do it a second time." His eyes burned into hers. "I'll spread you so thin you'll never reform again. I'll send you to the deepest parts of Tartarus. Your charmspeak may work on others, but definitely not me. Piper's charmspeak was stronger than yours—by a hundredfold."

"Natsu, what in the name of Mavis are you talking about?" Gray demanded. "Tartarus is gone. Long gone. Besides, how has Annabeth died and come back?" He was puzzled and slightly angry.

"Annabeth? _Annabeth?_ Have you no shame, Kelli? Using the name of the girl that killed you in the Labyrinth for your personal gain?" Natsu was completely focused on Kelli-Annabeth now. "I will not let you get into Fairy Tail. I do not care what the master says about this. You will not join."

Kelli-Annabeth spat some curses. "As you wish, Natsu Dragneel," she growled, her eyes turning a violent shade of red. "It's time for you to die a second time. I'll make your death so painful, Tartarus will be like Elysium for you." She turned into a she-demon; her hair was made of flames, her mismatched donkey and Celestial bronze legs agile despite their appearance.

"I will not kill you quickly. I still have some things to settle with you, as do Astro and Tial," Natsu replied icily. _Work with me, Astro, Tial,_ Natsu said. _We shall, _Astro replied. _Revenge is so sweet, _Tial added. _Allow us to become part of you, _Astro said. _In order to send her to Tartarus for all eternity, you must use Lost Magic. You know what that means. Tial shall keep the memories at bay. I will help you. _Natsu agreed. _Thank you. Let us begin. _

"Now, Natsu," Kelli said, her smile like poisoned honey. "Shall we play with fire? I hope you remember what it did to those in the past." She bared her vampire teeth, red eyes glittering with malice and excitement. Kelli tried for an intoxicating smile. Natsu was not swayed; however, the other males in the guild were easily fooled.

Natsu closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. "_Stay back. We do not wish to bring harm to any of Natsu's guildmates,_" he said, eyes closed, in Astro's soft and feminine voice. Gray laughed. "Why are you speaking like a girl, Natsu?" he asked, but was shushed by Erza. "Silence. Let us see how this plays out. I did not realize that the Annabeth girl was so… vicious."

He opened his eyes, and Lucy nearly screamed in horror. His right eye was still black; dark like coal. His other eye is what scared her. It was amber, with a dark crimson swirl in the middle. "_Do not interfere. We have a score to settle._" Erza recalled her fight with Natsu; she remembered that bangs covered the left eye. If it was revealed, then it must meant that Natsu was extremely serious about this fight. "Do as what they say," she commanded, and they stepped back nervously.

"Ah," Kelli said. "So the son of Hecate picked you." She licked her lips. "However… I have never feasted on the blood of an immortal before. Let's see what it tastes like, shall we… Once I'm done with you, I shall move onto that one's blood."

"_Devin is not the son of Hecate,_" Astro corrected. "_He does not even belong in your world, as I do not belong in this one._" Natsu's eyes hardened. Erza exchanged a confused glance with Lucy. "What's wrong with him?" Lucy whispered.

"I'd like to thank you for coming here. This way, I can destroy you." Natsu's left hand lit up with fire; but it wasn't his regular red fire. It was blue. "Infinity's Fire Magic. Your end. Your destruction is near." Terrible memories threatened to spill into his mind, but he could feel Tial's powers blocking them out.

"_It appears that we four all have a fine reason to kill each other,_" Astro said, and Natsu's eyes glinted. "Four?" Erza questioned, an eyebrow raised. "_Yes. Natsu, my brother, and I,_" Astro replied. Kelli let out a dry laugh, like a snake hissing. "It's wonderful, really. I can feast on you a second time," she snarled, a smile touching her lips.

Natsu ignored the comment and instead, lunged at Kelli, swiping at Kelli with his left arm. She screeched like a banshee as the fire connected with her body. "That was for being my assassin," Natsu snarled as he attacked her. "And making my death as slow as possible; and toying with me; and threatening Fairy Tail." Kelli regained her demeanor quickly, her claws flashing and were raked across Natsu's arm, but Natsu didn't even flinch.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu blew a huge blast of fire towards Kelli, causing her to scream shrilly. "_And that was for Caligo and Lux! You manipulated them; you forced them to war against each other_!" Astro and Tial yelled, intertwining with Natsu's voice. Her bronze leg kicked Natsu in the shin, hard, but he didn't allow himself to collapse. He continued to blast her with fire, while she replied to each one with a ferocious attack.

"That was for killing the Strauss siblings' parents!" Natsu snarled, as he dealt her a Fire Dragon's Claw. Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna watched on, horrified. _So she was the one who murdered them,_ Mirajane thought, a tear trickling down her cheek.

"I will never yield!" Kelli screeched, her teeth sinking into Natsu's arm. Natsu's eyes glittered with cold anger. "Yield? You will die. And you're not the only one who can get something to drink." Natsu sank his sharp canines into Kelli's open arm, and tasted her blood—lava. Being the fire dragon, he was perfectly capable of drinking it, but Gray, who snapped out of his stupor, looked onward, terrified and disgusted. "That," he said, "is disgusting." Lucy agreed with him.

"_You'll never touch the City of Flowers again_!" Tial's memories were Natsu's for a moment. A once beautiful city hidden in a forest was burnt to the ground, completely destroyed. Creatures lay on the ash-covered ground, all dead and pitiful. For this sin, Natsu slammed his elbow, set on fire, into Kelli's chest. Natsu shared Tial's anger for the City of Flowers, renamed the City of Ashes.

"That city was the easiest to burn!" Kelli screamed at them, and she slashed at Natsu again, who couldn't dodge the swift attack. "I still relish that day!" Tial, while keeping Natsu's memories at bay, channeled his rage into fuel.

"For pulling the strings behind Ultear's actions!" Natsu continued, scoring another flaming attack on Kelli. His mismatched eyes glimmered with malice and vengeance. Gray shuddered. This girl… she was the one behind Ultear? And Ultear… she seemed to be the most deceiving! Natsu's expression was terrifying; it was beyond angry; it was plain insane.

"That girl… she was merely a puppet! I used a more powerful being… a god! No, a Titan for my own ways! The woman was too easy to control!" Kelli laughed, slamming her bronze leg into Natsu's stomach. He pushed himself onto his feet again.

"You tainted Zeref's heart pure black! Because of you, he created demons… and terrible magic!" he added, smashing into her face with Fire Dragon's Iron Fist.

"Demons? I'm a demon, so why shouldn't I get allies, or more puppets?" Kelli sneered, but her voice had a tinge of fear as Natsu began to gain the upper hand. She continued to bite and claw at him, but every blow he inflicted on her was worse.

"_And for siding with both Gaea and the Titans… who were both aiming for the world's destruction! You wished to help the Titans; when they lost, you joined Gaea! You turned on your own kind! And for that, the world of demigods has never forgiven you!_" Astro shouted, her emotion showing in the left eye. Lucy shivered. That eye didn't fail to creep her out.

Kelli's eyes were round with terror as Natsu prepared his worst blow on Kelli. "No-no-no-no-no!" she screamed as Natsu gasped out his last rebuke: "And this is for every single sin you've made! Atone for it! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

Blue and red fire, mixed with both shadows and bright light, sparked around Kelli, ready to explode. Flames danced around her and Natsu, and his form was threatening in the flamelight. "Never again, will you harm anyone!" And he knew it wasn't just him speaking; both Astro and Tial's voices were audible. And as soon as they spoke, the flames destroyed Kelli. Once the fire had died down, it revealed Kelli's remains, yellow sulfurous monster dust, and a very angry Natsu Dragneel.

As the last bit of fire went out, so did all of Natsu's fight. He dropped to his hands and knees, wheezing and quivering with fear, and he was muttering things under his breath. Tial's power had gone out, and his left eye returned to its normal onyx. Something dripped onto the ground below him, and Erza rushed over to his side, followed by Lucy, Gray, and Happy.

As soon as she reached him, she realized Natsu was crying heartbrokenly. His chest heaved, out of both exertion and sobbing. "Natsu…?" Lucy asked, sitting by him, and genuinely concerned. He didn't reply, only sitting back and wrapping his arms around his knees. He wouldn't lift his face to meet anyone's eyes.

_When he arrived at the gate of the City of Flowers, it had been burnt to ashes. The man beside him looked at him with a gaze full of shock, horror, and anger. _

"_You said you visited this place," the man said accusingly, "and you use fire magic. This place has been burnt down! And it is nothing I have felt before! It must be Lost Magic!" Natsu attempted to clear his name, but they didn't believe him. _

"_This place was my hometown, and you had the nerve to burn it down, and travel with me?" demanded a girl with auburn hair. "How dare you!" She instantly broke down in tears. "And you lie about it!"_

_The people around him glared at him, and he knew he had to run, or risk his life gone for the second time. Natsu blinked back tears, turned away, and ran off into the distance, hearing the fading shouts of all of the people after him._

_ The body of that man whom he had killed lay at his feet, scorched and burnt. Natsu stared in horror, and cursed himself, not knowing of his own power. However, he knew this man had been attempting to kill him; he also knew that the man was very important in the city he was staying at._

_And for that 'sin' he committed, he was forced to watch as a girl whom had nursed him to health while he'd been sick a few days ago, along with other people who had helped him, was killed mercilessly because they had refused to tell them where Natsu was. _

_And because of fire magic, along with many other incidents, his whole life had been cursed. Devin's words echoed in his head: "What will you give up in return for the happiness for your guildmates, you ask of me?" And he had replied: "My happiness." Natsu had not expected this to be the outcome. _

_The worst blow—was Kiana. _

_Killed by his own hands, was that girl he met in Onibus. She never failed to have a cheerful smile upon her face, and her black eyes glimmered with happiness and amusement._

_He never forgave himself for falling prey to the illusion and destroying her because of his flames. What stunned him the most when he met her was her gold and pink streaked hair. Her eyes were cheerful and dark as midnight, cute and happy. _

_From that day that she had been killed, he swore to never use dragon slayer magic any more. It was too destructive, and it had ruined his life._

_His life had been ruined. Broken. And Kelli was to blame. _

"I… I pledged to never use fire dragon slayer magic again," he murmured deliriously. "City of Flowers… renamed the city of ashes… because of Kelli… yet I was to blame…" Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Happy couldn't catch most of it, except a few bits; "never", "fire dragon slayer", and "Kelli". "It's all my fault… my fault…" That last line was audible.

Erza was startled to see Natsu in such condition; so unlike his old self, yet so unlike his new self. He seemed to be full of despair, full of guilt, and full of regret. "Natsu, what do you mean?" she asked gently, standing in front of Natsu and lifting his face to meet hers. She wiped a tear off of his face, and was shocked to see what she saw in Natsu's eyes; dull, and even more lifeless than they normally were.

Natsu lowered his gaze, a faint laugh escaping from his lips; however, that laugh wasn't a cheerful one. It was full of self-disgust. "I thought… I'd be doing Fairy Tail a favor," he whispered inaudibly. "It only made things worse. Worse…" Suddenly, he flinched, and promptly collapsed, unconscious, coughing out one more word before blacking out: "Ki…ana," he gasped.

"Sorry, Natsu," Gray announced, "but I had to do that." He looked around the room, daring anyone to challenge his actions. Even Erza didn't yell at him.

Erza shrugged, and helped Lucy carry him to the infirmary. Happy and Gray followed.

He'd knocked Natsu out cold for a good reason. Gray mulled over the words that he heard Natsu speak before knocking him out. He gathered that Natsu had decided to never use fire dragon slayer magic, but nothing more. Why would he do something like that? But he had decided to knock him out because of the fact that Natsu was afraid, and was doing something he usually never did; crying.


	8. AUTHOR'S NOTE (CHANGED)

Author's Note

I will be starting two new stories; however, this story will be staying, don't worry.

They'll be called: "How to be a Fairy Tail Mage" and "A World of Rave and Fairies". The second one is a crossover between Rave and Fairy Tail.

Have fun, and a nice day.


	9. Chapter 8: Shut Up!

"How's he?" Gray asked Mirajane, who had answered the door to the infirmary when the former had knocked. Mirajane shook her head. "Same," she replied. "Although the nightmares seem to be worse."

Gray opened his mouth to say something, but Mira forestalled him. "It's not your fault," she told him. "You did what you thought was the best; would you rather have seen him in that undignified state? I'm sure Natsu would've done the same for you. Now go run along." Mira waved a hand and pushed him away from the infirmary.

When he arrived in main room of the hall, the doors opened, and a person of about seventeen walked into Fairy Tail. The door closed behind him as he entered. "Good morning, Fairy Tail," he announced with his soft voice. "I've come to see Natsu Dragneel."

Erza stepped forward, and pointed a sword at the newcomer. "State your business with Natsu and your name," she said icily. The newcomer was unfazed; instead, a faintly amused smirk played on his lips. If Natsu had been awake, he would've instantly recognized him as Devin.

"Hello, Erza Scarlet. I do not need to tell you my business with Natsu; and I do not need to tell you my name. I have many names," he said, making Erza visibly flinch when he mentioned her name. "Did I hit a nerve, Titania? I am quite sure that Jellal Fernandez gave you your last name while you were a slave," he whispered that last line, making it so soft only Erza could hear it.

"Damn you…" Erza hissed, regaining her composure at once. "If you wish to see Natsu, you'll have to get through me." Her lavender eyes were cold. The Fairy Tail mages, who were awfully bored a moment ago, perked up and watched them with fascination.

"Very well," he replied, and his blue eyes gleamed with amusement. "You say you can exquip your weapons and armor the fastest? Maybe I'll tell you—that statement is false. However, you'll come extremely close to the top." As he spoke, a sword made of pure star metal appeared in his hands, the exquiping speed swifter than Erza's. A collective gasp went up from the Fairy Tail mages.

Erza gritted her teeth. "This is turning out—" she began, and was muted as Devin borrowed her voice and spoke with her voice: "—to be a show of magic power, more than it is a duel," he said with her voice. "However, Scarlet, I can and I will willingly spar with you, even if it is to only help, and not harm your friend, Natsu." Erza cringed; she could sense a lot of magic power coming off of this person, even more than Zeref.

Erza couldn't read this boy. He looked younger than her; he was fairly cute, with that messy black hair and lean body. However, his eyes betrayed everything; he was far older than she was. In fact, she suspected he was older than all of the ages of the Fairy Tail mages put together.

"Shall we dance with swords today, Titania?" he asked, his voice light. The sword he held with his left hand flashed in the light as the sunbeams refracted over its smooth surface. A few surprised murmurs were heard; it would appear that Devin was flirting with Erza, which no one dared to do; of course, Devin was not flirting. He wasn't the type to do so.

Erza smiled icily and exquipped to her fabric 'armor', which was not enchanted. "I accept your kind offer. I hope you will not be worn out by the time the song is over." Her lavender eyes gleamed with determination. "Be prepared to eat the dust."

The two clashed together in a flurry of slashes and cuts; although the exchange between took only a few seconds, Devin had already left a thin cut on Erza's cheek, while he escaped unharmed. He had not tried to hurt her; only graze her. It was obvious that Erza had realized this, and she bit her lip.

Erza swung her sword at Devin, and he easily dodged it, and while her hand was still close to his face, his right hand took her right wrist and twisted, forcing Erza to drop the sword. Devin knocked her to the ground with his sword, and held the point at her neck. "I suppose I win," he said. "At least you lasted… hey, Eternity. What's the timing?"

"A minute and twenty-eight seconds," replied a feminine voice, and a new presence could be felt in the room. "Don't feel ashamed. The average, not including your score, is two point eighty-four seconds." As soon as that was said, the presence shut off and dissipated.

Erza got up as soon as the sword point at her neck disappeared. "I will keep my end of the deal," she muttered. "Go see him." Devin smiled disarmingly. "Thank you," he said. "In fact, Natsu has a deal he made with me; however I'll make sure he won't keep his end of the promise. I will, though." He headed towards the infirmary silently.

A strangled sob came from the infirmary; it sounded a lot like Natsu. It was becoming something normal for the past few days, but it still twisted Erza's heart. However, as soon as she saw the stranger enter the room, it stopped. Odd.

Devin brushed past Mirajane without saying anything; Mira tried to hold him back, but he shrugged her off. "Let me do this, Mirajane Strauss. I'd rather not have you watch him suffering any longer," he told her with surprising gentleness. She backed off silently, watching him warily.

"Natsu," he began, "wake up." Mirajane almost laughed—no one had been able to wake Natsu up for days; yet this boy expected he could wake him up by saying those words, and so softly? Much to her shock, Natsu's dark eyes fluttered open.

"What happened…?" he asked, eyes lost and confused. "I only remember fighting Kelli… then being knocked out…" Natsu's eyes were darker than usual, as if he was about to cry again. Devin smiled softly. "You defeated Kelli," he told him. "With Lost Magic. She has been eradicated forever."

Mirajane watched in silence as Natsu nodded; he seemed to struggle with himself. "You won't be keeping your end of the deal," Devin said suddenly. "But I will keep mine. You have sacrificed enough already." Another smile graced his face. "The City of Flowers has been returned to its former glory; your 'sin' has been cleansed. The man who nearly killed you, had you not killed him yourself, has been decreed as guilty; you are the innocent one. And you should know… Kiana would not like to see that face," Devin reminded gently. "Smile. Your happiness was never given to me." He turned to go, but was stopped by Natsu's hand on his arm.

"Thanks," he murmured, dark eyes not meeting Devin's. "I owe you." Natsu turned away. "Maybe. Just maybe… I'll be able to deal with my own feelings someday." A faint smile touched his face, brightening his face a little. Devin nodded slightly. "Have a nice day, Natsu, Mirajane." He disappeared out of the door.

Mirajane arched an eyebrow at the mention of this 'Kiana'. Did that mean that Natsu had crushed on another girl…? Lucy and Lisanna would be upset. She knew they both liked Natsu… However, she deducted that this Kiana girl was dead.

Natsu's face was still downcast and shadowed. Mirajane didn't have the heart to ask him who this Kiana was; his eyes revealed his vulnerability right now. If she pushed him, Natsu just might fall into another coma filled with terror and sadness. "Natsu," she said, jerking him back to the present. "Come on; we'd best get back to the others…" Natsu nodded silently, swinging out of bed.

Gray was relieved to see his friend out of the infirmary; however, his eyes darted around the guildhall nervously, showing instability. "Yo, flame-brain," he called, not expecting Natsu to reply; of course, he just surprised him.

"Yeah, ice prick? I don't wanna mess around with anything or anyone right now." Natsu's eyes glittered with anger, but somehow, Gray found that it wasn't directed towards him. "I hate it," he muttered. "I hate it."

Later that day…

Natsu finally snapped, and slammed his fist on the tabletop so hard, the whole guild turned to look at him. "Shut up!" he roared.

_Caligo beats Lux—_Astro began, but was cut off as Natsu screamed 'shut up' out loud. Literally. _You happen to know that the whole guild's looking, right?_

"The fuck if they're watching! I don't fucking care! You're just fucking annoying me! Why can't the two of you shut up and agree on something for once?" Natsu ranted, drawing the attention of every single member. "Hey—" Gray began, but was cut off as Natsu yelled again.

_So who do you like more? Caligo or Lux? _Tial asked, which caused Natsu to shout. "I don't fucking care! Just get the fuck outta my life would you? I hate both of them based off what you tell me about them!" Gray stared. "Er…"

"So it's gonna come to this, huh?" Natsu shouted again as they started bickering again. He drew a dagger, and every single guild member visibly flinched and backed away from Natsu. However, Natsu didn't point the dagger at anyone; instead, he lifted up his left arm, and that's when Gray noticed all the scars; and they seemed fairly new.

The dagger touched the top of his wrist, and a thin trickle of blood rolled down his arm. "What the hell are you doing?" Gray and Erza shouted at Natsu, but he ignored them. Instead, he went slightly deeper, and then dragged the blade down the length of his arm. Blood streamed down his arm, but Natsu didn't even flinch.

"Taught you a lesson?" Natsu asked, and the two of them squeaked through their telepathic conversation. He lifted the dagger to his throat, immensely startling Lucy and Happy. "Next time, I'll be slashing here." _Don't!_ Astro and Tial exclaimed immediately, earning them a smile from Natsu.

_Um, just wondering. Are my teeth sharper, or yours? _Astro asked. Natsu responded to this by biting his fingers, causing two squeals of pain come from Astro and Tial, while Natsu completely ignored the pain. He lowered his left arm, letting blood drip to the floor.

"What's wrong with you?" Gray demanded angrily, but the moment the words escaped his mouth, he completely regretted it. The dagger left Natsu's hand, and Gray stood stock still as the dagger's point embedding itself in the wall behind him. "Never ask me that question," Natsu hissed, dark eyes angry. He regained his composure quickly. "If you counted your hairs again, you'll find that you have exactly three hairs missing." Natsu brushed past Gray and pulled the dagger out of the knife; three strands of dark blue hair were hanging on the point, which was given to Gray. "Your hair, not mine." He left the guildhall.

"Are you okay, Gray?" Juvia immediately asked quietly. Her blue eyes showed concern for Gray, but he brushed it off; she had feelings that he didn't return. "I'm fine," he muttered angrily. "Damn that Natsu."

"Where did he learn all this stuff?" Lucy inquired, hazel eyes confused and curious. Happy hovered at her shoulder, staring after Natsu; he could see drops of scarlet on the ground, marking where he'd gone. "I'm going after him," Happy said, and left the guildhall, as the rest of the guild stared on.

Erza remembered the dark-haired boy who had easily overpowered her in that match; he had some connection to Natsu, but she couldn't quite place a finger on it. And Mirajane had mentioned a girl named Kiana; maybe he was seeing another girl while he'd been gone? But she somehow didn't think that was the case. She snapped back to the present when a hand waved in front of her face.

"Erza? Don't zone out on us," Lisanna said. "What were you thinking about anyway?" she added, blue eyes immensely curious. Erza shrugged. "I'll tell you if I figure it out," she told her. "Don't get too excited about it." 

Gray was obviously still miffed about the fact that Natsu had thrown a weapon at him, then acted like _nothing had happened._ That was stupid. Even the Natsu he'd grown up with wasn't that insensitive about others' feelings; in fact, he avoided hurting anyone seriously, even Gray. He still didn't quite understand what had happened.

"Today's been quite the hectic day," Mirajane said. "Perhaps we should all hit the bed," she suggested. "Then we can discuss this tomorrow." The silver-haired girl smiled sweetly at those who startled to protest. "Please?"

They agreed with the sweet barmaid, and headed out. Gray stayed behind while Lucy and Erza and Juvia left. "Aren't you leaving, Gray?" Mira asked as she cleaned up after the guild members. Gray simply sighed, and sat down at the bar, leaning on his elbows. "I'm just a bit annoyed that Natsu would want to attack me like that and act like nothing happened," he muttered. Mirajane touched his cheek. "Oh come on. What good will it do for you if you just sulk? Just go home. Get some rest. Your mind will be clearer tomorrow morning." Gray nodded. "Thanks, Mira," he told her, and headed outside. The barmaid left soon after.

Happy followed the spots of blood and found the source. Natsu crossed his arms, seemingly unbothered by the fact his other arm was stained with his own blood. "You'd better put some bandages on that," Happy told Natsu, who shook his head.

"I never do. It gets better in a bit; those two do have an amazing recovery ability," he said. _I heard that,_ Astro said smugly. _Want me to cut again?_ Natsu asked mentally, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Happy didn't ask who 'those two' were.

"What're you doing here, anyway, Happy?" Natsu asked, even though he already knew the answer; he'd known Happy long enough. "I just wanted to see where you were going," Happy answered, flicking his tail. "Besides, I also want to know where you spend all your time." Natsu sighed; he was tempted to tell Happy. After a few moments of silence, "Fine by me. Just promise you won't tell anyone."

Happy nodded. "Alright," he replied. Natsu headed off into the forest, followed by Happy. He tread silently, and Happy's wings were noiseless as they flapped in the air.

"You're here," said a familiar voice. Devin was leaning against a tree, arms crossed and his eyes betraying nothing. "Astro and Tial have been bothering you, haven't they?" Natsu simply nodded in response. A faint smirk tugged at Devin's lips. "And Happy came with you?"

"Aye," Happy said, flicking his tail. "I hope you don't mind," Happy added, but Devin simply gave him a warm smile. "It's alright. It's nice to know that Natsu has at least one person he can trust enough to bring here." A barely noticeable shade of pink dusted Natsu's cheeks.

"If you like, I won't go through anything today. Just spend the night with your friend," Devin told Natsu. "It's alright. And I'll tell Tial and Astro that they need to learn manners." A fleeting gleam of sadness shone in his blue eyes. "They're almost quite as annoying as Loki was," he added quietly.

He left the two to themselves, and disappeared into the trees. "He's been through too much…" Natsu murmured. Happy's sharp ears caught his remark, and he twitched an ear. "So have you," Happy replied, and Natsu sighed, sitting down against the base of a tree. "I guess so," Natsu said.

Happy smiled faintly and landed next to Natsu, his wings disappearing. "It's been too long," he said, tail twitching. Natsu couldn't help but agree. "I miss those people who've been my friends. And all I can do is pull away." He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry."

Happy shook his head. "It's alright, Natsu," he told him. "We all care about you." He noticed the time again, and told him, "It's getting late. Go to sleep." However, his words were on deaf ears; Natsu was already asleep. Still a bit like his old self, huh, Happy thought. But he preferred it this way.

**Hey guys ^~^**

**This is the first time I've done an A/N in this format. However, I'd like to say a few things.**

**First of all:  
I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did, I'd totally have poor Natsu be in a complex situation; his relationship with Gray, Lucy, and Lisanna. I AM NOT A YAOI FANGIRL.**

**I own a few things in this story. I have mentioned a few already, in the Author's Corner. I forgot to mention my favorite OC! How could I? XD It's Devin. Devin is my OC; he isn't perfect. More like immortal. **

**Here's a joke I thought of.**

**Me: What's up with the amount of 'Natsu dies' stories? The poor guy doesn't want to die, isn't that obvious? Besides, he wants to spend some more time with his friends.**

**Natsu: Like you're one to talk, bastard. Seriously. You gave me a fucking painful death and all you can say is that you don't like how much I get killed. Yeah. Oh the irony. It hurts.**

**Me: Ah…**

***Erza appears on stage* **

**Erza: Ahem. I do not like how badly my ass was kicked in the story.**

***Devin appears on stage***

**Devin: What was that, Erza?**

**Erza: Nothing.**

**Natsu: *falls over laughing* Gosh. This story is so sad and funny at the same time.**

***Gray enters***

**Gray: WTF. You're as stupid as always.**

**Natsu: WHAT WAS THAT?**

***Both of them engage in fighting* **

**Devin: LOL. Seriously. **

**Me: This turned out to be awkward… *coughs* Um, bye! 'Till next time! *shuts the light***

**Natsu: Oi, who turned out the lights?**


	10. Chapter 9: Final Chapter

The next day, Natsu resolved to explain everything to his guildmates.

He opened the door to the guildhall, sitting at the bar silently, onyx eyes watching the doorway. Happy had followed him, and he sat on the table beside him. Slowly, they began to filter into the guildhall.

Once every single person was assembled, Natsu cleared his throat loudly. Happy had already heard his 'lecture' earlier that morning, and he simply flicked an ear. The guild membered looked towards Natsu in surprise. "I've a few important things to tell you," Natsu stated. "It's been awhile, and I think it's about time you learned more of the story."

Erza, Lucy and Gray leaned forward earnestly; they'd been the ones wanting to know what happened the most. "In order for you to understand, though, you'll need to be silent. Don't ask any questions, and don't interrupt me. Got it?" Natsu asked, sweeping his onyx gaze over the guild.

"Aye!" the Fairy Tail mages called in unison. With that pushed out of the way, Natsu began his tale.

"Gray and I had gone on a quest together, with no one else, if you recall the assignment. As it was in the middle of a desert, it was not easily destroyed, so it was a perfect job for the two of us. I don't like admitting it, but we were arguing again, so we split up and went separate ways to destroy the enemy. Apparently, Gray was successful; had he been unsuccessful, he would have been killed.

"I remember defeating all of the dark guild members we were assigned to, but I was taken by surprise; Kelli had been there at the time. With her charmspeak and magical ability to attract males, I fell right into her trap. Let me explain exactly what she is.

"Kelli is an _empousa_, plural being _empousai. _In fact, she's a senior _empousa_, making her one of the deadliest of them all. An _empousa _is a she-demon, and her true form is much like a vampire; she claims that vampires were based on them. _Empousa _have the ability to use a kind of magic foreign to this world, but is similar to Charm magic, and another ability called charmspeak. Charmspeak is the ability to manipulate others into doing things they wanted to do. For instance, if Erza had charmspeak, then she could force Mirajane to give her as much cake as she wanted just by saying: 'Please give me strawberry cake.' Unfortunately, only females can have this ability, and this ability is also foreign to this world. Charmspeak is also a battle of wills.

"_Empousa _come from Tartarus, and reform there when they are killed, making the monsters from the world of demigods impossible to kill—unless it is done with Lost Magic from another world. I killed Kelli twice; once on my journey, and a second time here. The second time I performed Lost Magic on her, so she cannot reform. And if you're wondering why I drank her blood, an _empousa's_ blood becomes lava upon reaching this world.

"As I was saying, Kelli had me shackled to the wall. What happened I will not tell you; it is too disturbing, and I don't take pride in it. However, I do remember losing consciousness, and then being barely awake when Gray found me. And I remember dying. Everything was white, and then I was nowhere.

"This is when Devin comes in. He recalled my soul into the world of the living, and had retrieved my scarf for me. The time when I was brought back was two days after the funeral you had for me.

"During the week I was revived, too many things had happened. I was blamed for the destruction of the City of Flowers because of my fire magic. I know exactly who did it though; it was Kelli. I was in a kill-or-be-killed situation, and I was forced to kill a man, and he happened to be an important person in that city I was staying in. And while I cowered in the shadows, the ones that had sheltered me were killed because they refused to give my position away. And the last time I used fire magic was to kill Kiana.

"Kiana was a wonderful friend, and I was forced to kill her with my own hands. With fire magic. Kelli used Manipulation Magic on me and forced me to kill Kiana. And she accepted every blow with a smile and a laugh, and with open arms.

"And so I swore that I would never use Fire Dragon Slayer magic again. However, I did not swear on the River Styx, so breaking that promise was safe enough. I learned magic from Devin, Infinity, and Eternity, and Astro and Tial were sent to watch over me. I learned more magic than I ever knew, and they were the types of magic others had used; Arc of Time, Maguilty Sense, Imagination Magic, Complete Destruction Magic, Illusion Magic, and a bit of Zeref's Death Magic, something I use as a last resort.

"However, that is not my point. My point is that the walls between dimensions are beginning to weaken. Creatures from all over the place will appear, and you will be faced with enemies that have never heard of magic, and allies that are the oddest you can imagine. This also means the wall between us and Edolas will weaken, allowing a few of them to come into our world. Upon entering this world, they will be granted magic that is the same as their counterparts' magic, except a more basic form. For instance, if Natsu Dragonial was to come to this world, he would be granted fire magic, nothing more. He cannot use Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, or any of the magic I use currently. Erza Knightwalker will be granted a slower version of exquip. Gray Surge will be granted a weaker form of Ice Make. You get the point.

"We will be like the pieces on the chessboard; we have a choice of white or black. We can figure out who goes first, and who goes second. We have a choice of forfeiting and leaving the world to chaos, and we have a choice of fighting back and crushing the enemy.

"Even if the rest of Fairy Tail will not fight with me, I have resolved to the destruction of these newfound dangers. And our greatest threat now is lack of knowledge. However, we have been granted access to the world of the demigods, allowing us to speak with the twelve Olympians; Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Hera, Ares, Artemis, Apollo, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Demeter. They also go by their Roman names, but I do not feel the need to elaborate. Our main god to talk to is Athena, or Minerva. I have a feeling that Minerva of Tartarus was named after said goddess.

"If you recall my fight with Kelli, I was not lying when she turned her backs on the Titans and worked with Gaea. Luckily for us, our earth is not Gaea, and that she was overthrown by the seven demigods, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, and Hazel Levesque, along with Nico di Angelo.

"Devin mentioned he had a project to work on. Now I understand what the project is. What he was trying to do was to weaken the walls further so that we can gain more allies, and this way we can defeat our enemies in one fell swoop.

"I will be able to tell the difference between ally and enemy; none of you can, as you have not been granted this ability through Devin. However, Eternity and Infinity should be coming around today, if Astro and Tial's information was correct. They do not need anything; do not offer them anything either, unless you have a death wish.

"The first wall has been broken. Our boundary with the world of Pokémon has been shattered. Astro and Tial are both Pokémon, thus I have already known this wall was weak. Devin will be working on the boundary between the World of Rave. This will take quite a while.

"This war has already started. And what decided that was Éclair's life. She agreed to Devin's idea; she would be willing to give up all four of her lifetimes to four people. Devin will also be willing to spare part of his soul for another person. However, don't worry; Éclair's soul will not fade. I have her to thank for this life of mine." Natsu's obsidian eyes glinted with fierce determination. "All those to save all worlds, give an 'aye!'"

"AYE!" every single guild member shouted in unison, their voices ringing out into the city and sky.

**Well, that finalizes this story. ^~^ Don't worry, there'll be more to come. This is only the first book, right? So what did you think of the chapter? Leave your opinion with a review! Tell me if you'd like an OC added into the story, or request a series to add into the next book. **

**Have a nice day, everyone! **


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